The 'Why Computing?' project is a constructivist-interpretive study which arose from concerns over many years of practice as an academic, as to why some students enrolled on computing degrees when they had no apparent interest in the subject. To check that these were wider concerns, not just personal or local, work started by interviewing academics from diverse universities. This confirmed the broad prevalence of low levels of apparent disengagement. Empirical data were collected, from current and potential students, over a period of up to 18-months, as they chose their course and progressed into Higher Education. This included 100 hours of focus group and individual interviews. Three theoretical lenses were selected for use as analytical tools: Actor-Network Theory was supported by Structure-Agency and Social Practice theories. From the initial objective, three themes emerged as work progressed: the image of computing, student choice and engagement, each of which led to evolving and focussing, research questions. Empirical data confirmed the current, largely anecdotal, understandings that the image of computing, particularly its 'geeky-ness', deters some applicants and that many pupils have an incorrect understanding of the likely content of an HE computing course, often conflating it with school ICT. New insights include that those pupils who do have a reasonable understanding of what technical computing courses encompass have usually gained it through their social networks (often parents): seldom through school. Some students who might be seen as disengaged can be fully committed to their course, but behaving in ways different to that planned by course designers, and may be better considered 'differently engaged'. Models of the characteristics of engagement are developed. Finally, some computing degree students value the opportunity to exercise their creativity.

This thesis explores the motivation of a group of graduates who have chosen to train as Classics teachers. Classics graduates have a relatively high employment rate, entering a wide range of careers. One such career is teaching. There has been a shortage of trained Classics teachers in recent years, with only two institutions in England offering the one year pre-service Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Although candidates are not always aware of how competitive the course is, their applications clearly suggest a determination to enter the profession. Research over a number of years has suggested that motivations for choosing a career in teaching can be broadly classified as altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic, with altruistic and intrinsic motivations generally shown to be dominant. In some countries, however, including the U.K., there has been a change in the general perception of the job of teaching, which might appear to make it a less attractive option than thirty years previously. Working conditions, salary and status are noted as contributing to this overall picture and one might expect prospective teachers to be aware of this, in which case, their altruistic and intrinsic motivations may have to be stronger than those of previous generations. There is a perception that prospective Classics teachers are a relatively homogeneous group from a specific educational background who may perceive the career differently for a number of reasons. On the other hand, this view may be misguided as the application and selection process shows that students have a variety of backgrounds and prior experiences and it is worth exploring, in fact, how similar their motivations are to each other, and to those choosing to teach other subjects. An individual’s prior experiences have been noted as influential in their view of teaching, as well as the potential impact of significant others. This thesis explores the reasons Classics graduates choose teaching as a career, whether inspired by teachers, by loved ones, or in some cases by seemingly arbitrary, albeit influential, events. The research draws on data collected from one cohort of PGCE students, including information given in an essay submitted at the start of the course, as well as individual interviews. This qualitative approach seeks to ascertain whether there are common factors, for example, in previous educational path or ’teacher-like’ experiences. data indicated that influences were often absorbed subconsciously and only retrospectively acknowledged, in some cases only when thinking about the research project. One significant element in the data was an unusual sense of a ’mission’ to maintain and indeed advance the position of Classical subjects in the curriculum: whether an early or late decision to enter teaching, the students seemed clear that there was something ’special’ about teaching Classical subjects, often supported by their earlier experiences of the ’special’ qualities of Classics.

No description available.

This thesis is concerned with the construction of a test of occupational information which may find practical use in careers education, particularly in British secondary schools. The development of the practice of guidance and careers education is described, with particular emphasis on the place of testing. Previous research on students' reasons for choice and knowledge of occupations is reviewed. The place of occupational information is established in the context of current theories of career development and decision-making. A survey of the practice of careers education emphasises appropriate teaching techniques. A survey of descriptions of occupational characteristics reveals five systems which contribute to the basic structure of the test. The multiple-choice objective type item is justified as the most appropriate form to fulfil the objectives of developing self-awareness and producing a measure, if required, of the students' understanding of the reality of their occupational information in relation to norms provided by Careers Officers and Participants. The test is constructed at two educational levels, tried in a pilot investigation, revised and then used by 1420 students in 57 secondary schools of various types throughout Great Britain. Norms are obtained from 311 Careers Officers and 1221 Participants in 29 selected occupations. The experience of the trials reveals problems which are discussed in terms of the validity of the test, its structure and the use and compilation of norms, I ' inally, suggestions are made for further development of the test for practical use in schools. Problems of basic theoretical research are also raised.

Background to the study Reports have indicated that young people with learning difficulties are at greater risk of developing mental health problems; yet there is very little provision for this client group and a lack of understanding of what might be appropriate. This study evaluates counselling in a school for students with complex needs. The project seeks to underst~nd the effects of humanistic counselling for young people with learning difficulties from the students', teachers', teaching assistants' and counsellor's perspectives. Method The study is a mixed methods intervention stugy using both qualitative and quantitative measures. Thirty students were referred for counselling by the staff at the school. Fifteen were selected for the first year intervention; the other fifteen acted as a comparison group for the first year, and then were given counselling for the second year. The counselling provided was evaluated using data of four kinds: the counsellor's notes of sessions; the students' selfconcept at four times; their opinion of the value of counselling; the staff responses to the student's functioning in the classroom at four times; the students' responses to the PiersHarris 2 questionnaire. Results Results indicate that many' of the students in this project did benefit from humanistic counselling. Staff in the school identified benefits to over half of the students and reported that the students' behaviour, communication, concentration in class, and general levels of happiness improved. Data from the students and counsellor support these results. The students' were able to lessen their secondary handicap, improve communication, mcrease their level of autonomy and manage everyday life events more effectively. Conclusion The study demonstrated that participants benefited from the intervention; that counselling met a significant need among students; that additional support for school staff and parents was desirable; and that counselling of this kind should be much more widely available.

No description available.

The number of people seeking out support via the Internet is steadily increasing. In response to this growing need, counselling services have become commonplace on the Internet. This study focuses upon Kooth, one such service that has specifically been created to support adolescents. In particular, the work examines the quality of the computer-mediated Therapeutic Alliance from the viewpoint of the young users. This is a naturalistic study which combines several mixed methods research designs to explore the online adolescentcounsellor Alliance. At the heart of the study, an explanatory mixed methods design utilised an online measure of Alliance (Therapeutic Alliance Quality Scale [TAQS]) supported by online interviews to provide a rich picture of the adolescent-counsellor Alliance. This is complemented by two further mixed methods designs, an embedded experimental design and a triangulation design, which focus upon the effectiveness of the therapeutic work and the potential of viewing the Alliance as a predictor of successful counselling. The findings from the project indicate that the service proves popular with adolescents and that approximately three quarters (79%) of the services users who completed the TAQS (n=47) reported the Alliance to be of a medium or high quality. Additionally, the interviews (n=15) highlighted the importance of having an appropriate match between client and service in the creation of strong Alliances. Key facets to this matching process included the initial engagement phase (related to gaining access), the development of rapport with the counsellor (related to the communication skills utilised), and the establishment of control (related to consensus over key issues between the counsellor and client). The investigation into the effectiveness of the counselling service proved less successful and the methodological reasons for this are discussed. It is concluded that strong Alliances can be created in online relationships with adolescents. The limited datasets for the latter parts of the study mean that generalised conclusions about the effectiveness of the service and the predictive value of the Alliance cannot be made. These findings are discussed in relation to the broader literature and recommendations for service providers and practitioners are outlined.

The central research problem is the insufficient supply of teachers opting for promotion to middle-level leadership positions in Singapore secondary schools, where about 66% are filled. This shortage limits the effectiveness of school management and reduces the flow of leaders aspiring to vice-principalship/ principalship. The study generates a model by addressing two research questions: (1) What influences affect secondary school teachers’ decision-making as to whether to aspire to middle-level school leadership? (2) How do these influences affect the career aspirations of Singaporean secondary school teachers? Using the interpretivist paradigm, case study approach, and content analysis methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a stratified sample of 20 participants. The investigation sought teachers’ perceptions of middle-level school leadership (compared to teaching) and their career aspirations, and identified the associative influences on their career decision-making. Such influences can be grouped into the categories of personal, socialisation and environmental influences, with each linked to two qualitatively different categories: teaching and leadership influences. Teachers’ career decision making is affected by ‘personal’ influences, resulting from innate attributes and pre-service experiences. Interactions with friends, family and significant others also give rise to ‘socialisation’ influences. ‘Environmental’ influences result from home and school environments. Teachers at different career stages (beginning teachers (0-3 years), more mature teachers (3-5 years), more senior teachers (beyond 5 years)) are more susceptible to particular influences; for example beginning teachers prefer honing pedagogical skills than doing administrative tasks. Teachers progress through these career stages and experience the influences identified. These influences affect individuals differently, for example additional remuneration may be less attractive for more established senior teachers compared to beginning teachers. Teachers’ decision-making processes regarding leadership aspirations lie at the heart of the Model of Selective Appeal, so named because particular influences on whether to opt for leadership selectively appeal, or otherwise, to individual teachers.

No description available.

No description available.